Expert-Led Training: Proven Methods, Real Transformations

Searching for and retrieving antlers- either as a pursuit in the wild or for competition- is one of the fastest growing activities that appeals to a large variety of dogs. In this class, I'll provide you with a roadmap of how to get from zero experience to a fully functional shed antler hunting dog, ready for entry level trials and tests!

Many teams stall after initial foundations: progress slows, motivation dips, and it can feel hard to know what to train next. This course keeps you moving forward with clear structure and purposeful exercises, so you and your dog continue to build skills instead of losing steam.

This class is an intensive dive into the geeky side of Canine Fitness and Conditioning training. We’ll look at relevant biology and biomechanics, anatomy and physiology terms, relevant training theory and application, dog structural and fitness analysis, analyzing and improving form, how and when to progress exercises, and how to select appropriate exercises for a dog and its life.

Did you know that you can now title your dog in Tricks?! Tricks aren’t just for fun anymore and this isn’t just another tricks class! Tricks have so many purposes including teaching your dog to enjoy training, sharpening your skills as a trainer and improving your working relationship with your dog. This class will help guide you through teaching all of the tricks needed to achieve your Trick Dog Novice, Trick Dog Intermediate and Trick Dog Advanced titles.

The tricks in this class are broken into six different categories. We’ll start by focusing on the novice-level tricks for each category and work on building those into the tricks needed for the intermediate and advanced levels.

There is an option for Gold students to earn AKC Trick Dog Titles at the end of this course (additional fee paid to the AKC required).

Your dog does not need any prior training knowledge for this class, but it is very helpful that your dog is food-motivated.

Introducing the "Retrievolution Challenge!" A whole new way to enjoy retriever sport and training.

It takes some time to develop your eye, and hands to get an idea of how your performance dog's body is feeling.

If you compete in Rally, lateral movement is a requirement, but even if you just want to teach your dog a more solid understanding of heel, this skill is a good one to have. I use sidesteps all the time when I’m heeling, to help bring the dog closer to me, reduce crabbing, and straighten out crooked sits.

Not all dogs are high drive. In fact, most dogs fall into the average- to lower-drive range, and it can be more challenging to motivate them. Handlers often assume they can’t increase a dog’s arousal—that the dog is simply “that way.” But that’s not necessarily true. In many cases, we can increase arousal; we just need to be creative.

Play is about more than the toy or the game. It’s a shared experience, shaped by the relationship between dog and handler. The presence, timing, energy, and expectations of the handler influence how a dog experiences engagement, effort, and arousal. This workshop explores play through a relational lens, focusing on how connection, shared intent, and co-regulation support a dog’s ability to stay present and engaged.

Many handlers notice that engagement shifts depending on how involved they are, or that play feels easy one moment and strained the next. Rather than teaching specific games or techniques, this session invites participants to observe how their dog responds within the relationship itself. How does the dog change when the handler is more active, more still, more directive, or more responsive? How does connection support your dog, and when might it ask more than they’re ready to give? How does your dog respond to closeness, interaction, and attention? What does mutual engagement look like for different dogs, and how does it shift under excitement or stress?

Participants will learn how to recognize relational patterns in play, understand why some dogs are more socially driven than object-driven, and explore how small changes in interaction can support regulation, clarity, and trust. By the end of this workshop, handlers often find they feel more confident reading their dog’s responses and more intentional about how they show up in play. This workshop is designed for handlers who want to deepen their understanding of their dog, refine how they engage, and use engagement as a way to notice, adjust, and respond more intentionally.

We invest countless hours teaching behaviors and building chains that look beautiful in training—only to step into the ring and watch everything fall apart. What happened? Why does the dog suddenly struggle?